How The Wizard of Oz, a Christian pilgrimage and a chance marriage sent father-and-son filmmakers along The Way

By Devin D. O’Leary

Whether they go by the name Sheen or Estevez, they’re part of a Hollywood dynasty. Father Martin Sheen has appeared in legendary films (Badlands, Apocalypse Now) and Emmy-winning television shows (“The West Wing”) and is a well-known liberal activist. Son Emilio Estevez is a popular actor (The Breakfast Club, Repo Man, Young Guns), a journeyman director (Bobby) and a former member of the notorious ’80s Brat Pack.

“Terra Nova” on FOX

By Devin D. O’Leary

Science-fiction lovers cringe, caught somewhere between anticipation and dread, whenever a major network announces the debut of a new sci-fi-oriented series. The anxiety is doubled when that network is FOX. Broadcast television doesn’t have a solid track record for supporting science-fiction shows, and FOX has cultivated a reputation for killing fan-faves like Firefly, Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. So when it was announced that Steven Spielberg would be teaming up with René Echevarria (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “The 4400”) and Brannon Braga (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) to produce a dinosaur-centric time travel adventure for FOX, the jubilation of sci-fi lovers was mixed with a heavy dose of angst.

SFFF Returns

Following a drastically reduced 2010 schedule, the Santa Fe Film Festival is experiencing a rebuilding year. The 12-year-old festival has stumbled a bit, accruing debt and losing sponsorships since the departure of founding director Jon Bowman. But this year, the festival is expanding to three venues (The Screen, the Center for Contemporary Arts and The Lensic) and has locked in an impressive schedule of some 30 features, documentaries and short film blocks.